Emergency vehicles such as police cars, ambulances and the like are typically equipped with visual signalling such as flashing lights and strobes, to indicate their presence to other road users. Such flashing lights and strobes are typically hardwired into the electrical system of the vehicle in question. Other such lights may be retrofit by attaching a light unit to the automobile and taking advantage, for example, of an appropriate adapter inserted into the lighter outlet.
One drawback of such systems is that they typically require modification to the vehicles electrical system. This provides difficulties, for example, when security or emergency personnel are operating in regions where the vehicles must be temporarily leased and where modification of the vehicle in question proves an unsuitable alternative. Additionally, existing retrofit units typically comprise a control/power unit and one or more lighting units interconnected using wires. Such retrofit units are cumbersome and difficult to employ on a large variety of vehicles given the difference in distances between the control/power unit and the light sources. Also, as the control/power unit is within the automobile and the light sources typically on the outside of the vehicle, a cable must pass through an open window or door jamb which leads to a substandard implementation.
Another drawback is that prior art retrofit systems typically include a large light bar which is cumbersome, not readily portable and difficult to attach to many vehicles which might otherwise be used by emergency personnel.
What is needed therefore, and an object of the present invention, is a lighting system for emergency vehicles comprising a variety of signalling light sources synchronised using a wireless communication system.